5. Using a low-tech shorthand for insulin resistance: a 40 inch or greater waist for men, a 35 inch or greater waist for women. If your waist measures that high, you can safely bet the family farm that you’ve got insulin resistance and may be headed for some serious trouble down the road. Interestingly, those waist measurements were exactly the numbers that correlated with the doubled risk for death when compared with smaller waists — less than 34 inches for men, less than 28 inches for women — in a recent study. Each 2-inch increase in waist circumference added about 17% increased risk for mortality in men and about 13% increased mortality in women

6. Within ten minutes of drinking about 17 ounces of water, the subjects’ metabolisms increased by about 30%, reaching a maximum after 30-40 minutes

7. Watch the frequency! I’ve seen one female bikini competitor go from 24 to 28 in her waist from the high frequency, high-load abdominal/oblique work!

8. Interval Training for your cardio…only. The days of long, slow boring cardio are over for this particular goal. Short, high-intensity exercise creates an oxygen debt (known in geekspeak as E.P.O.C., or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) and this results in a metabolic boost long after the training session is over.

9. We’re made to be outdoors. While it’s not always practical to haul a whole barbell set outside or train at Muscle Beach, look to do something physical outside. Run sprints at the track, find a hill and do sprints, push a Prowler or pull a sled. Grab a sledgehammer and try to beat an old tire to a pulp. Also, consider bringing minimal equipment like kettlebells to a park and having an outdoor session.

10. Sleep quality and quantity. I cant say this enough even though this day and age it’s close to impossible to get enough good, quality sleep. Sleep is like a bank account . You can only take so much out before you have to stop and deposit back in. Take your power naps when you can and go to bed early. Turn off the bloody TV and read a book. Remember to take your magnesium and zinc before you hit the sack too. If you sleep less than 5 hours a night your body builds up more fat reserves than if you sleep 6 hours or longer each night.